I love automobiles and over the past few years, there is a fair share of my tweets dedicated to some of the most gorgeous cars I have driven, experienced, seen zoom past by and few others which I simply drool at.

Needless to say, I was very much excited to receive the special invite from TATA MOTORS to test drive and experience their all new ZICA first-hand in the beautiful city of Goa.

By the way, in case you are wondering, ZICA stands for the car’s Zippy drive experience.

There were a total of 60 Professional Social media Bloggers across all of India who were specially chosen and invited to be a part of this event launch experience.

The journey began from Mumbai and myself, along with the other 59 Social media bloggers, landed in Goa to be greeted by the team with a warm smile ready and geared up to take us to Alila Diwa resort in Goa for the stay and the car’s event launch experience.

Alila Diwa GoaAlila Diwa Goa – Tata Motors – Fantastico MadeOfGreat

The indiblogger team (the indicrew) were all set to welcome us at the resort and they had made every single arrangement to make our stay and event a wonderful experience.

After a scrumptious lunch, all of us headed to the nearby beach and it was stunningly gorgeous. The sun glimmered in the ocean and the view was simply breathtaking.

Goa Beach

We had an amazing time here with some really fun beach activities.

Tata Motors Zica Goa BeachTata Motors Zica

Tata Motors Zica Fantastico MadeOfGreat Ananth VParasailing in Goa

We then headed back to the Hotel for ZICA’s technical specification introductions by the departmental heads who designed this gorgeous vehicle.

The head of design and engineering kept us at the edge of our seats as they explained the details about the car, the journey behind the design, the detailing, consumer research, life-size clay model car testing, engine testing and the entire process which resulted in this gorgeous automobile.

Tata Motors ZICA Fantastico MadeOfGreat (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Then Delna Avari (Marketing – Tata Motors) introduced us to the story and how the iconic Lionel Messi came into picture and most importantly, how the aspect of Trust, cool and next generation came together to form an amazing partnership for the all new TATA MOTORS ZICA automobile.

After this, the team at TATA MOTORS gave all of us a very sweet surprise as they showed us the replica football locker room which had all 60 participants dedicated lockers with the number 10 jersey of Messi and with few other cool memorabilia of TATA MOTORS kept with each of our names in it. And they said, ‘each of this locker and its belongings are yours, after all, it has your names on it’ and we truly loved it.

Ananth V Tata Motors ZICA Fantastico MadeOfGreat Lionel Messi

To be honest, it was not about the swag, or the tee or the other memorabilia, but the way in which it was presented, the experience, as I would like to share, was truly memorable.

Just then, the walls of the room in front of us opened with lights flashing all around us followed by a majestic music and lo behold, we saw the ZICA right in front of us.

Tata Motors ZICA

In just a matter of seconds, each one of us rushed towards the car and she looked simply gorgeous.

It has a cutting edge design, with state of the art technology and driving dynamics. The appealing exterior has a truly vibrant silhouette emphasizing the compact look that comes with the car’s sharp design features and detailed elements.

The new three-dimensional logo stands distinct along with its hexagonal grille. The all new ZICA has sharp tail lamps and the stunning designed spoiler spats look trendy. It further enhances the sportiness of the car. That coupled with the dual tone interiors with customizable air vents, premium graphics on the fabric and body hugging seat bolsters gives us a warm and inviting feel.

Lot of efforts have gone into the interiors and the heart of the interior rests on its dashboard with the state of the art HARMAN system. The central console sports rotary knobs which provide a contemporary design and for sure a much better tactile feel.

The interiors details will astound you. It has 22 utility spaces, versatile luggage space of 240 litres and functions and features to charge your tablet, phone and so much more. It is available in petrol and diesel variants – REVOTRON engine: 1.2L Petrol and Revotorq 1.05L Diesel developed in-house by TATA MOTORS.

The Revotorq 1.05L is the first new diesel engine from this series and delivers an optimum power of 70PS with 140 Nm @1800-3000 rpm.

The night ended with a wonderful party, singing and loads of fun. Of Course, Cyrus added a lot of zest to the event and the DJ and LIVE Singer was simply fabulous. We then headed back to our hotel rooms.

I woke up as always at around 4:00 am and since I was in Goa, I left for an early morning walk to the beach. I returned by 5:30 am and geared up for the awesome day ahead to drive this magnificent looking automobile.

Goa Beach at 5 am

ZICA, in fact an entire fleet of Zica’s rolled in early morning and we were all set to drive. Tofu who was part of TATA MOTORS team, took us through the vehicles features, functions, tech specs etc and bid us adieu. I started the engine and it purred like a cool cat ready to explore this gorgeous city.

As we drove past the crowded and narrow spaces, I was constantly short-shifting the vehicle due to the sudden passage of vehicles from all around. I could still feel the car to be in complete control, thanks to the amazing steering wheel. It was a cool driving experience right from the start.

ZICA

I immediately hit the ‘ECO’ mode in the car and within the next 3 kms we saw the dashboard showcasing numbers that reflected exceptional fuel efficiency. Thanks to the state of the art Revotorq engine that comes loaded with technologies like dual overhead camshafts, optimized valve lift etc which deliver superior fuel efficiency.

Soon we hit the open roads, the wide highways and it was a blast straight ahead. And I shifted into the ‘CITY’ mode of ZICA.

The Zica has two modes, the city mode is when you want to push the vehicle to great speeds and zip across and the Eco mode is when you need to opt for optimum fuel efficiency.

We really wanted to push the vehicle as much as we could (while ensuring safety and keeping track of the speedometers in front of us) but we wanted to make sure that not only were the roads exceptionally wide and stretched far, but also that we were completely off the grid so that there were no other vehicles anywhere even remotely nearby. We kept driving for almost 40 kms and finally drove for another two to three kilometers and ensured that there was not a single soul around. The road ahead was looking breathtakingly gorgeous and we were so far off the grid into the interiors that our phones network went completely dead.

ZICA Fantastico MadeOfGreat Car Launch in Goa

We then drove the car pleasantly pushing it to the limits but ensured to keep safety precautions as our top priority at all times. We had an amazing time and the vehicle zipped across the street but we could still feel in complete control of this amazing automobile throughout. There were no vibrations and thanks to the ZICA which is equipped with a balancer shaft that specially helps to reduce engine vibrations, we had a really smooth drive.

We then stopped and took some fun photographs of the three of us, some selfies and even solo portfolio shots. I got loads of help from Zainab here as she patiently explained to me on few poses that I could opt for so that I do not look the same through the various clicks. Thanks a ton Zainab!

Ananth V ZICA Tata Motors Fantastico MadeOfGreat Pic courtesy Zainab

We then headed back towards the crowd and after driving for about 4 kms we saw a family in distress. There were two little kids waving vigorously towards us for help. We immediately halted and waited as the kids rushed towards our car and said that they were completely lost and had no idea how to get out of this place.

Luckily, Nilkant was from Goa and he knew the place extremely well. He guided them, they thanked us and we headed back towards our group. Slowly we got the network back on our phones and the navigation system guided us towards the group too. This is an in-built turn by turn navigation system which is connected via an app in the car.

We all took turns driving the car and it was amazing. Even in that scorching heat, we were cool as a pack of Boss Penguins out on a mission. (I just saw Madagascar with my three year old niece today) Well, we definitely looked much cooler than the penguins though because get this, Zica has an air conditioning system to specially meet the diverse climatic conditions in India and it comes with a chilled glove box too.

That’s right, we opened the glove box and found two bottles of chilled water and a bottle of Usain Bolt’s very own Gatorade. It was refreshing.

We took turns listening to different songs and changing the tracks as well, thanks to the HARMON entertainment system and the 8 speaker audio mega sound system in the car. It supports FM / AM, Bluetooth, iPod etc across its audio connectivity.

ZICA

We ensured at all times that all of us were wearing seat belts and none of us, who was at that point driving, handled mobile phones etc.

To add to the safety feature, the Zica has dual front airbags, rear parking sensors with display on infotainment screen for better safety.

Zica Tata Motors

We drove the Diesel that is powered by the Revotorq 3 cylinder with multi-drive. It has a 1047 cc and is a hatchback with a 5 door with 14 inch wheels and a fuel tank capacity of 35 litres. It has a power of 70PS @4000 rpm.

Some of the coolest features are the in-gear shift indicator, the driver seat-belt reminder, the music system, chilled glove box and the dual driving modes in the Zica.

Zica Tata Motors Car Launch Goa Alila Diwa Fantastico MadeOfGreat

Tata Motors Gear Up for Great

Finally we headed back to the Hotel and shared our feedback with the TATA MOTORS team. Here I met the ever entertaining Cyrus with whom I even had a video interview about the splendid automobile.

Cyrus Ananth Tata Motors ZICA

The entire event was an amazingly exciting and wonderful experience.

Finally, I along with 59 others headed back home to Mumbai that night.

Mumbai Goa

THANKS to TATA MOTORS for arranging and sending the SPECIAL INVITE and making all of us feel, truly Zippy throughout the event.

And as always, a very special thanks to Anoop, Vineet and every indicrew member for their warmth, the wonderful arrangements, you guys are simply awesome and of course the team at Whizcraft too for the same.

Indicrew

I loved driving the Tata Motors ZICA, though if I were to sum up the driving experience in one word, I would rather call it “Z-Cool”.

Tata Motors ZICA – Click to Enlarge

Have you seen the new ZICA or driven it. Do share your experience with me here. Would love to hear from you.

DISCLAIMER:

Do note: Through this post, I have shared my experience in an eventful, interesting and in a creative manner given that I am a professional social media blogger. For any and all reasons, this post should not be considered as a sole reason to make any purchasing decisions, in any case for which I will not be held responsible for the same. For those who enjoyed my creative writing style and also feel the car might be the vehicle they are looking for, I would sincerely suggest to first have a look at the website of TATA MOTORS, enquire and then test drive the car in their showroom and base decisions only and completely on your own. This post was written based on my experience with the vehicle and I sincerely enjoyed driving it. But hey, I love automobiles! I enjoyed driving the ZICA too.

Published by Ananth

3 time Global Award Winning Digital Marketing Social Media Professional and Digital Agency Techdivine's Founder & CEO.
Awarded:
1) Most Influential Digital Marketing Leaders 2016 by CMO Asia and World Marketing Congress at Taj Lands End, Mumbai in 2016.
2) First place Winner of Global Peter Drucker Challenge in Entrepreneur's category among 40 countries.
3) Interviewed by BBC Business - Money and Finance at GPDF14 in Vienna, Austria about my Digital agency's innovative marketing technology integrated solutions for corporate brands.
4) Awarded Best Digital Marketing Professional in India by CMO Council and World Marketing Congress at Taj Lands End, Mumbai in 2014.
5)Published three books, one of which was covered by the Times of India team in Mumbai.
International Speaker, Author, Corporate Trainer who loves to travel, sketch, blog and go on long runs.
View all posts by Ananth

Such a detailed post in such less time. WOW! I yet have to start mine haha…
It was great meeting you and driving along and getting driven as well. You are a very safe and smooth driver, good control. Thank you for picking me firstly in your team and then even letting me drive! I would have regretted it later.
This entire experience was amazing. Hope we all get to have many such in the future….till then stay in touch 🙂

Hello Zainab, Thank you very much for your comments and kind words. It was a wonderful fun filled experience and you drive well too. You have a very interesting profile especially the ‘dream catchers’ & about ‘chimerical creativity’. Sounds very interesting. Yes for sure, do stay connected and will meet-up. Have an amazing week ahead. Be Well. Ananth

Beautiful narration of your wonderful experience of driving TATA MOTORS new launch ZICA. Your god given gift and skill for writing in such short time needs special appreciation .I felt as if you were driving the car and writing in parallel. You have detailed each & every part of the car and your experience very nicely
The TATA MOTOR’s new launch ZICA is super superb

Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for your extremely kind words, they mean a lot to me and also for taking time out to go through during your hectic travel and schedule. Thanks again, yes it is a very beautiful car and it was refreshing to drive it in Goa. Thanks again. Zica is awesome. Regards, Ananth

Hello BlogwatiG, it was extremely fun meeting you too. Especially the time all of us spent at the airport during the return to Mumbai. Thanks for taking the time out to comment. Have a great day ahead. Regards Ananth.

Thanks Anita for taking your time out to share a comment on this post, means a lot. Yes, we had a blast and the Zica is truly an awesome car from Tata Motors loaded with fun and resourceful features. It was insightful exchanging notes with you about work and your inspiring profile wrt CSR. Kudos! Thanks and have a great day. Ananth.

Yes Capt. It has a navigational system which is an in-car connectivity and is smartphone enabled. It guides us with a Turn-By-Turn Navigation app. You can check out its complete features here http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/zica/features

Hi Manisha
The car drove very well. Event at tight corners one feels in excellent control. The Zica has two modes, the city mode is when you want to push the vehicle to great speeds and zip across and the Eco mode is when you need to opt for optimum fuel efficiency. You can get more information abou the car features here http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/zica/features